Kinder is located in Allen Parish, (originally part of Imperial Calcasieu Parish. & established in 1912.) In the late 1800's, small settlements existed scattered about the region. Early settlers, mostly of English descent arrived. From the east, came settlers from Mississippi & the Carolinas. From the north came settlers from Iowa, Ohio, and the Dakotas. From the west came settlers from Kansas. They arrived in oxen pulled carts & wagons over deep, rutted trails (there were no existing roads in the area) through the forests. Since there were no roads, settlers blazed trees to make trail routes for traveling to the larger towns of Lake Charles, Opelousas, or Alexandria for supplies, or to visit one another locally. It was not usual for settlers individually or collectively to go once a year for supplies. They also obtained wild game, berries, fish & fruit from surrounding forests & streams. This area was away from trade routes & until late 18th century, was part of an area of what was called "no man's land." This was the entire area between Fort Opelousas French Louisiana) and Spanish Mexico. The Spanish in 1769 gave provisions & land grants to settlers who wished to venture westward.
Various remnants of Indian tribes were also in the area, mostly from the Koasati Tribe. The Koasati Tribe called themselves "The Lost Tribe." They were unable to connect with the main tribe during a migration of tribes going west from was then the Alabama territory. The Koasati, who are now recognized as "Coushatta" are mainly located around "Bayou Blue" near Kinder. The Coushatta Tribe now operate a Casino in the Kinder area. See Coushatta Community for further information.
James A. Kinder, (a native of Mississippi) arrived in about 1885, and opened a small general store and obtained a soldier's homestead at the site of the present town in 1889. The store, and later the area was called "Kinder's" by new settlers. James Kinder later sold his homestead, moved to Lake Charles and became a permanent resident.
Jabez B. Watkins, Railroad Builder who lived in Lawrence, Kansas, bought (for $2,000) the James A. Kinder homestead. In 1892 he & and others organized the "Kinder Town Site Co." and laid out the town. Watkins also began construction in 1888 of a railroad from Lake Charles to Alexandria, the "Watkins Railroad." It was completed in 1891, with the first depot built about 1891 in Kinder.
Villemore Marcantel built the first mercantile store which later burned. Louis Doucet & P.E. Moore soon built a store in "Green Oaks," (a community located at Doucet's Crossing on the Calcasieu River). Its settlers were from midwestern Kansas, Iowa, and Ohio. Most of the settlers in the Green Oaks settlement moved to the present site of Kinder upon the arrival of the railroad.
Kinder's earliest families McRill, Moore, Hill, Higgins, Doucet, Marcantel, Pitre, Vige, and Langley all arrived close together. No definite records exist of when these families arrived. Because Allen Parish was then part of Calcasieu Parish most early civil and church records were stored in Lake Charles. These records were destroyed in a great fire in Lake Charles in 1910.
Green Oaks settlement had the first school, (a one-room plank house) established in about 1890/1891. The first Schoolmaster was Professor Philbrick, enrollment: 20 children, most of whom walked to classes through 3 miles of blazed trails. School term was only conducted for 3 months, usually the hottest and driest months of the year (June, July, and August). This permitted students living on the opposite side of the river (Calcasieu River) to attend school. The rest of the year, cold and rainy weather prevented the children from attending school. Kinder's first school house was built in 1893 across from the Masonic Hall. Kinder graduated its first Senior Class in 1914.
The first physician in Kinder was Dr. R.E. Oden in 1896 until his death. (He also served as the 2nd mayor of the town, 12 years in office). There were not any churches in the area for a long time. The first ministers to arrive were Methodist ministers. Worship services were first held in the school house in Green Oaks ca 1890/91. In 1902 the first place of worship for Kinder was named "Congregational Church." Services and other meetings were conducted outdoors before the church was built. Baptisms were held in the Calcasieu River.
In 1899, the first cemetery, Kinder Cemetery, was established . Green Oaks Cemetery was also an early area cemetery. Many of the early settlers are buried in these 2 old cemeteries. (Other cemeteries: The Joe Carter Memorial Cemetery, McGee Cemetery, and the Fontenot Cemetery.) Kinder was incorporated as a town in 1903. The Kinder Times newspaper & a branch of the Calcasieu Marine Bank of Lake Charles was established in Kinder in 1903. (The newspaper was later the "Kinder Gazette" and then the "Kinder Tribune.") The Peavy Burns Lumber Co. established in 1908 a sawmill and offices west of Kinder. The concrete walls remain today. About 50 families lived in houses constructed by the company for those employed by the mill. A turpentine mill was later constructed in the area. Farming & rice farming had been the principle occupations of the area. Because of the climate, fertile soil & water supply rice became the staple crop. The settlers depended on "Providence" to provide the rain, so the rice became known as "Providence Rice". (Rice irrigation & canals hadn't yet been established.) A Chamber of Commerce and a Civic League were established. With the arrival of industries, electrical & water utilities, telephones, improved streets, sidewalks & prosperity also arrived.
Fontenot, W. A., An Early History of Kinder Louisiana. La Voix des Prairies. No. 8, p. 9-10.